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Steve Rowe, the new chief executive of Marks & Spencer, is keeping control of the retailer’s struggling clothing division in an attempt to revive its flagging sales.

Mr Rowe, who took over the top job on Saturday, has told staff that he would continue to be directly in charge of the group’s clothing-centric general merchandise division “for the foreseeable future” as he makes a turnaround of the division his “number one priority”.

The decision is a departure from M&S’ past strategy which has seen separate heads for its food and general merchandise division reporting into the chief executive.

However, it is thought that Mr Rowe wants to personally see through a change in strategy in the retailer's...